The impact of COVID-19 anxiety on eating disorders in medical and Master’s students

O. Aygun, H.S. Kucukerdem, O. Gokdemir, T.D. Özmet, Ü.B. Batur

Department of Family Medicine, Bozyaka Research and Training Hospital, İzmir, Turkey. gokdemirozden@gmail.com

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• Infectious Diseases
• Psychiatry

OBJECTIVE: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 virus) first appeared in China with rapidly progressing pneumonia of unknown cause. Our goal was to investigate the relationship between COVID-19 anxiety and eating disorders among front-line physicians during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study is observational, prospective and analytical. The study population age range is from 18 to 65 years and includes healthcare professionals with a Master’s degree or higher or subjects who have completed their education. We administered the Demographic Data Form, the Eating Disorder Rating Scale (EDRS), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) to “Health professionals with a Master’s degree or higher education, or who are receiving or have received Medical Specialization Training” across Turkey.

RESULTS: The study initially included 312 people in total, but 19 were excluded (9 due to a pre-existing eating disorder, 2 for pregnancy, 2 for colitis, 4 for Diabetes Mellitus, 1 for depression, 1 with generalized anxiety disorder – GAD), leaving 293 subjects (82 men and 211 women). Assistant doctor was the highest status in the study group (56%), while specialization Training was the highest level of training (60.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: We presented a detailed account of effects of scales and parameters related to the COVID-19 process on eating disorders and weight change in a specific population. These effects show both anxiety scores related to COVID-19 and eating disorders on various aspects and identify various variables influencing these scales in the main groups and subgroups.

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